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Lesson 7

We will Read “Disarming the Great Affordable Housing Debate” and delineate and evaluate its argument by writing a well-developed response.

Lesson Goals

Reading and Knowledge

  • Determine Meaning and Purpose: How well do I determine and analyze the central ideas of informational texts, literary works, and arguments related to the history of discriminatory, fair, and affordable housing in the United States?
  • Compare and Connect: How well do I make connections and comparisons among informational, literary, and argumentative texts regarding homeownership and affordable housing in the United States?
  • Delineate Argumentation: How well do I delineate and evaluate the elements of an argument about housing in the United States?
  • Compare and Connect: How well do I analyze connections and comparisons between two arguments about affordable housing and explain how one argument is a counterargument to the other?

Writing

  • Form Claims: How well can I develop and clearly communicate a meaningful and defensible claim that represents a valid, evidence-based analysis of an argument?
  • Develop Ideas: How well can I cite evidence to develop and support my ideas in delineating and comparing arguments?
  • Use Conventions to Produce Clear Writing: How well do I apply correct and effective syntax, usage, mechanics, and spelling to communicate ideas and achieve intended purposes?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Disarming the Great Affordable Housing Debate,” Solomon Greene and Margery Austin Turner, The Urban Institute, 2015
    • Excerpts from “Where Should a Poor Family Live?,” Thomas B. Edsall, The New York Times Company, 2015

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss

We will overview the Section Diagnostic task and the text our responses will be based on in order to prepare to delineate and explain a counterargument.

Review the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist and address any questions regarding what will be expected of you.

Read the title and first three paragraphs of "Disarming the Great Affordable Housing Debate." Discuss the following question as a class:

  1. How is the argument in this article related to the argument in "Where Should a Poor Family Live?"

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will individually read and annotate “Disarming The Great Affordable Housing Debate.”

Read and annotate the argument "Disarming the Great Affordable Housing Debate," focusing on the authors’ perspective, position, and major claims, as well as on their counterclaims to Edsall’s argument.

Complete a copy of the Delineating Arguments Tool, focusing on counterclaims and the evidence presented to support them. Based on your analysis, complete a copy of the Evaluating Arguments Tool.

Activity 3: Write

We will write interpretive explanations of the argument in “Disarming The Great Affordable Housing Debate,” explaining what we found and wrote down when delineating and evaluating the argument.

Using your Delineating Arguments Tool as an outline, write a well-developed response explaining the following:

  • Greene and Turner’s perspective, position, and major claims in "Disarming the Great Affordable Housing Debate"

  • how the authors’ argument is a response to Edsall’s “Where Should a Poor Family Live?”

  • how Greene and Turner present counterclaims to opposing positions, information, and claims

  • if you believe "Disarming the Great Affordable Housing Debate" is a convincing argument and your evaluation of it

Activity 4: Write

We will review and revise our responses.

Review the instructions from the previous activity. Using the Section 2 Diagnostic Checklist, review your response. Make any necessary revisions or edits to improve the communication of your ideas.

Proofread your draft for the grammar or usage issues you have been focusing on. Make edits to correct any errors.

Activity 5: Write – Discuss

We will reflect on our work on the Section Diagnostic and assess how prepared we are for the Culminating Task.

Step 1

Choose at least three of the questions below and respond to them in your Learning Log:

  1. How well did you take necessary action to prepare for the task?

  2. What went well for you during the completion of this task?

  3. What did you struggle with during the completion of this task? How did you push through that struggle?

  4. How well did you actively focus your attention during this independent task?

  5. How well did you develop and use an effective and efficient process to maintain workflow during this task?

  6. What would you do differently during the next Section Diagnostic?

Review your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about all you have learned and done during this section of the unit. Evaluate your skills and knowledge to determine how prepared you are for the Culminating Task.

  • Add or refine any skills and content knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

  • Evaluate how well you are mastering skills and knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

Step 2

Review the Central Question of the unit:

How viable is the American dream of homeownership?

Use the following questions to guide a discussion with a partner or small group:

  1. What new knowledge do you have that relates to the Central Question?

  2. What are you still curious about that relates to the Central Question?

  3. What is the relationship between the Central Question and the texts you have read so far? How do the texts shed light on the question? How does the question help you understand the texts?

  4. How has your response to the question evolved, deepened, or changed?

In your Learning Log, write your response to Question 3. You will return to this response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.